Sr. Klippers finish second to earn bye to league semifinals

Kindersley beat Wilkie 7-5 in the team’s final game of the season but the win wasn’t enough to move into first place

Wilkie Outlaws goalie Jared Herle reacts after giving up the go-ahead goal to the Kindersley Sr. Klippers in the team’s 7-5 win on Feb. 1 at the Co-op Arena. The power play marker by Kyle Donaldson put Kindersley up by two goals with five minutes left to play.

Kenneth Brownof The Clarion

The Kindersley Sr. Klippers have earned a bye to the Sask West Hockey League semifinals after falling just short of ending the regular season in first overall.

The team finished the 2018-19 regular season with an overall record of 16-3-1 and 33 points. The Wilkie Outlaws (16-2-2) finished with 34 points, so the Sr. Klippers fell short of the top spot by a single point. The Outlaws have won four consecutive SWHL championships.

Kindersley won its first 15 games of the season before losing four consecutive games, and the team could only manage a single point from a shootout loss over those four games. The Sr. Klippers beat the Outlaws 7-5 in the team’s final game of the season on Feb. 1 in Kindersley, but the win was not enough.